


Starlit

by Laessu



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, aokise - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-22 17:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3737593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laessu/pseuds/Laessu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pursuing their new careers and lives after basketball together, Aomine Daiki and Kise Ryouta live in domestic peace. But a manic fan is about to shatter their bliss, placing both their lives and future in danger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

In a flurry of blue, Aomine dashed the length of the half court. Like a bird taking flight, he launched into the air. The orange ball plunged through the well worn net, untouched by the rusting metal ring holding it. Aomine's large hand clung to the ring, and his lean body hung from it for a moment before he released his grip and fell lightly to the blacktop. Sweat trailing down his neck, he wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his blue uniform before jogging to collect the basketball. Behind him an annoyed voice rang out,

"One more round!" A picturesque blonde trailed behind Aomine, his lips protruding in a pout.

"Nope." Having picked up the much-abused ball, Aomine turned towards Kise, the corners of his mouth tugged up into a cocky grin.

"Aominecchi" Kise whined. His face was also damp with sweat, although it somehow didn't mar his neatly textured hair. "It's just because I came from a shoot, you can't expect me to be at my prime in skinny jeans!" He gestured at his tightly fitted pants, which were decorated with a vast variety of zippers.

"You never beat me in high school and you won't beat me now." Aomine said to the annoyed blonde. He had walked to the corner of the court to collect his and Kise's belongings. He dusted off his police cap before fitting it snugly over his short hair. He tossed the leather bag over to the still whining Kise, who caught it with one hand.

"This is a designer bag Ahominecchi, don't just throw it!" Kise scolded playfully, his straight teeth showing as he smiled brightly.

"Eh? Who's Ahominecchi?" Aomine teased. They were side by side now, and started to walk on the well worn path home. It had rained earlier, the fresh post-rain scent still lingering. The bright lights of the apartments and office building illuminated the still damp sidewalk as the two walked. A brisk autumn breeze played through the open streets, tossing up the fallen leaves.

"It's getting pretty chilly isn't it…" Kise mused, looking up at the night sky. The lights from the city obscured the stars, but the crescent moon still shined white over the tall buildings. In response to Kise's distracted comment, Aomine threw a muscular arm over the blonde's shoulder, pulling him closer. "Eww Aominecchi! You're all sweaty!" Kise giggled, although he didn't pull away. The two continued to walk like that, their gaits slightly lopsided and Kise poking fun at Aomine's damp uniform and still-sweaty brow. Like a spotlight, each street light lit up the silly couple as they shoved each other from one edge of the sidewalk to another.

They tumbled into their penthouse apartment, still laughing like drunks. Shoes were kicked off and left unceremoniously at the front door. Aomine headed straight for the leather loveseat and plopped down. He pawed for the remote on the side table and turned the TV on to some mindless program on giant pandas. He sat, only half watching, and took of his hat. Gently, he place the hat on the side table, in front of the framed picture of his and Kise's first real date. He had taken Kise to an amusement park, which he hated, but the model was so excited that he managed to stomach all the horrendously sweet food and long lines.

"Aominecchi~" Kise sang, "What do you wanna eat?" Aomine looked up from the TV, the pandas on the screen were chewing on bamboo as the monotone narrator described the medicinal properties of their meal.

"Whatever we have left." He called back.

"Leftover Chinese takeout then!" Kise dumped some noodles and rice onto a round plate. He popped the plate into the microwave, tapped a few buttons and the microwave hummed to life. The remaining box of beef was dumped into a small pan and placed on the stove. Kise continued to sing as he stirred the meat in the pan. He was really getting much better, Aomine thought. The model had been trying to expand into other markets and so had hired a voice coach. The microwave beeped and Kise popped the heated noodle-rice mix out and poured the beef over it. On his way over to the loveseat, he grabbed two pairs of chopsticks from under the counter.

He plopped down next to Aomine, who was still blearily watching the panda bears. Smelling the food, Aomine perked up and grabbed the chopsticks offered to him and took a big bite of the Chinese food.

"Ahhhhh" He exhaled, the mouthful was burning hot. Unwilling to back down from the challenge, Aomine bit down on the noodle and swallowed the mouthful, scalding his throat in the process.

"Ahominecchi." Kise groaned, rolling his eyes at the childishness. He grabbed a small piece of beef, blew on it for a moment, and popped it into his mouth.

"Are you wearing makeup?" Aominecchi asked, his mouth still stinging from the hot food. The blonde paused, food inches from his open mouth.

"Yeah, just eyeliner. I told you didn't I? I had a shoot today." Now that Aomine had noticed, the model's artificially lined eyes looked even more striking. The gold of his irises even more piercing than usual. "Why?" Kise cooed, "Do I look extra sexy today?" Teasingly, he batted his eyelashes.

"Yeah." Aomine said, and the blonde choked on his mouthful of rice. A blush turned his ears bright red as he coughed and Aomine changed the channel, grinning.

He had just flipped to a commercial and was about to continue flipping before Kise excitedly reached out to grab the remote.

"Ah! I'm in this one! Look look!" Aomine grabbed the plate, which was in danger of spilling onto the ground, and placed it beside his hat on the table before looking back up at the screen. In the commercial, Kise was dressed in Arabic type wear, his toned stomach peeking out from beneath a vest. Beneath him was a golden throne, and a crown perched crookedly on his golden hair. He held a golden key in his hand, and dragged it across his lips. Aomine swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. TV Kise exhaled, the sound somehow sensual. The camera zoomed out to show Kise and his throne piled on top of a massive mound of gold and riches. The image faded to black before switching to the picture of a slowly revolving bottle. Kise's voice rang out over the image, "Unlock me." As the whisper echoed, golden words wrote out over the black background.

"See it's a perfume commercial, so the challenge is to try and advertise the scent by just using visuals and sou- Aominecchi!?" Aomine had tackled Kise down, his lips brushing on the model's neck.

"That. Was. Way. Too. Fucking. Sexy." Aomine breathed, each word punctuated by a kiss. He relented in his assault for a moment. "Can I get a personal tape?" He said, completely serious. Kise slapped his chest, face bright red.

"No!" Kise muttered, and Aomine continued his attack. Food completely forgotten, Kise's embarrassed mutters soon morphed into soft moans as Aomine trailed his way down from the model's neck to his stomach. The taut muscle twitched as Aomine breathed on Kise, his hands running up and down the milky skin. "Th-that tickles."Kise complained, but Aomine ignored him.

"Ah!" Kise let out a soft yelp, Aomine had made it down to his pants. Tanned fingers roughly unbuckled and unzipped. The jeans were very tight, making Kise's erection that much more pronounced. Aomine tugged at the jeans, but they wouldn't budge.

"Stupid skinny jeans." Aomine hissed. The blonde laughed before wiggling out of the denim prisons himself. The moment they were off, Aomine's mouth was on Kise's crotch, licking over the black boxers.

Kise was squirming underneath Aomine's hungry mouth, his thin fingers grasping the navy hair. "Ngh!" He moaned as Aomine finally took off his boxers and sucked on his pulsing erection. Each bob of his head elicitiing another excited moan.

"W-wait." Kise breathed, pulling back on the hair in his hand. He sat up, trembling a little, and straddled Aomine. Sitting slightly taller, he kissed his boyfriend. It was a hungry kiss, one that Aomine returned with a growl. Thin fingers trailed down the police uniform, skillfully unbuttoning each black button. The black leather belt was pulled from its loops in a single fluid motion, and the pants undone just as easily. As Kise was blindly undressing his lover, Aomine's hands roamed the length of the milky white torso. One large tanned hand found its way down and a finger pressed into the blonde, making him break the intense kiss to gasp. A second finger slipped inside and Kise's back arched a little as he clung to his lover. Aomine reached down to his own pants and pressed the tip of his cock to Kise's hot entrance.

"Ah!" Aomine felt Kise's arms tighten around him as the entire length of his cock slid inside. The blonde was shivering, he had gone in without any lube.

"Shit, are you okay?" Aomine asked as he felt tears wet his back. Kise whimpered. Wordlessly, the blonde nodded and eventually the deathgrip loosened. Kise slowly began to rock back and forth, his whimpering now soft moaning. Each movement sent a jolt of pleasure through Kise's body.

"I love you" Kise sighed into his lover's ear. This sent an electric jolt through Aomine, who then pushed Kise down onto the couch. Taking a dominant position, Aomine began thrusting into Kise. His hand snaked around the blonde's stiff erection and began to pump to the rhythm of the thrusts. A light sheen of sweat glistened on Kise's forehead, his face pink, eyes half open. Aomine's breath became more ragged as he felt the familiar tingle in his hips. Kise appeared to be close too, his hips bucking and swaying. Moans echoed around the large room, each thrust audible.

Childishly determined not to cum first, Aomine slowed his thrusting. His hand slid up and down the stiff cock and he bent down to kiss his lover. Kise squirmed and suddenly stiffened. He broke away from the kiss to cry out as his entire body convulsed. As he was cumming, Aomine quickly thrust into the blonde, finally releasing himself inside.

Kise went limp, his chest heaving. His milky thighs twitched as the convulsions of his orgasm slowed. Aomine pulled out, still dripping. The model's eyes were closed, his long eyelashes highlighted by the now smudged eyeliner. Scooping the tired blonde into his arms, Aomine carried Kise wedding style to their bedroom. He dropped him on the neatly made bed, crumpling the black bedsheet.

"Owie" Kise mumbled, his golden head already buried in a pillow. Aomine sat down on the bed and the model rolled over to make room. An annoyed grunt came from the pillow, "That hurt you bastard."

"Sorry." Aomine said, reaching over to play with the golden locks of hair. "I'll use lube next time."

"As an apology, you owe me a favor." Came the muffled reply.

"Eh? And what's that?" Aomine teased, twisting the blonde strands between two fingers.

"Let me top next time."

"Not a chance." Rolling onto the bed, one tanned arm worked its way around Kise, pulling him close. Aomine buried his face into the back of his lovers head, inhaling the sweet scent of his hair.

"We didn't wash up." Kise blearily muttered, already close to sleep.

"Tomorrow."

"Mmm." The blonde snuggled backwards into Aomine's chest. Aomine tightened his grip, and planted a soft kiss on the blonde head.

"Good night."


	2. Chapter 2

Sunlight spilled through the half-drawn curtains, tracing bright lines across Kise's sleeping face. His golden eyes fluttered open, long eyelashes casting a shadow over his pale face. He groaned and rolled over, only to find his movement impeded by two strong arms. Still sleeping, Aomine's muscular arms gripped Kise's torso with surprising strength. Trapped, the model squirmed over towards his bedstand and clawed for his cell phone. The white phone buzzed to life with the tap of a button, the welcome screen showing the time. 6:45 am. Still about half an hour until they had to start getting ready.

Kise rapidly punched in his keycode to unlock the phone and was welcomed with his own face. The background featured him and his reluctant boyfriend, the photo taken at a flattering angle and plastered in digital stickers and nonsensical words. A small smile tugged at the model's lips as he gazed at photo Aomine's annoyed and slightly embarrassed expression. First glancing over at sleeping Aomine, Kise then tapped the camera icon. At first greeted with his own sleepy face, he quickly tapped the camera switch icon. Wiggling around until he was facing his sleepy boyfriend, Kise then pointed the phone towards Aomine's sleeping face. With a soft 'chk' the photo was taken. Kise grinned at his photo, a photo that no one else would have, of an expression no one else would see. His Aominecchi: mouth slightly open, face rough with stubble, hair sticking up at odd angles.

Thoroughly pleased with himself, Kise saved the photo to his cell phone quickly. Aomine's soft breaths tickled his collarbone. Feeling a bit strangled, Kise slid down under his boyfriends iron grip. Finally free, he stretched for a moment. A twang of pain shot up his spine and he scowled.

"Stupid Aominecchi…" He murmured, rubbing the lower part of his back. Their romp last night had left him a bit sore, and he grimaced as he stretched out his stiff muscles. Looking down at his sleepy lover, a mischievous thought suddenly flashed across Kise's mind. Carefully, he slipped the blanket off Aomine's sleeping body. A heavy sleeper, Aomine barely twitched. The corners of his mouth turned up in a catlike smile, Kise slid down to his boyfriend's boxers. After glancing up quickly to make sure he was still asleep, Kise slid the black boxers down. After crawling back onto the bed and positioning himself over Aomine, he took the exposed cock into his hands and stuck the tip into his mouth. His tongue swirled over the head while he lightly pumped with one hand. Somehow still asleep, Aomine groaned softly and rolled to his back, giving Kise more access. Feeling very naughty, Kise began sucking on the stiffening member. Suddenly he felt a warm hand on his head and he glanced up.

"Heh, good morning to you too." Aomine's eyes were finally open. His voice was slightly hoarse from sleep, but his eyes were bright and aware. Kise responded by bobbing his head, not slowing his pace. He felt the hand in his hair grip for a moment. "Ah, fuck…" Aomine breathed. He slowly rose to a sitting position, hand still clenched in the blonde's hair. Kise felt the hard cock swell in his mouth, and in response he took his mouth off. Mouth quickly replaced with a hand, Kise pumped the dick and ran his tongue up and down the side. Occasionally he lightly sucked on the tip or nipped at the base. Kise was pretty turned on himself; his free hand slipped into his own pajama pant. Suddenly he felt his pants and boxers being tugged down, Aomine was apparently ready to do more than just watch.

"Ah!" A breathy gasp escaped Kise as he felt Aomine's warm hand grip his cock. Drips of precum were already leaking from his stiff dick, and Aomine's hand slid smoothly up and down.

"Come here." Aomine commanded, and Kise obeyed silently. He rose up to a sitting position and shuffled over toward Aomine until he was on his lap. With one large hand, Aomine gripped their two stiff members and slid his hand up and down both of them. His breathing was slightly erratic; he was already close. Aomine's other hand snuck behind Kise, and he slid two fingers into the blonde.

"Mm!" Kise had buried his blonde head into Aomine's shoulder, the sensation sent a light shiver down his body. Fingers playing and sliding in and out, Kise was soon on the edge too. His hips shivering, his arms gripped tightly around Aomine. Right as he and Aomine were both about to cum, Kise pulled away from his lovers shoulder and they kissed. They both came at the same time, bodies shuddering in unison. Sweaty and out of breath, the two sat still for a moment, lips still locked. Aomine pulled away first, then snuck a quick kiss onto the blonde's exposed neck.

"Shower?" He said, gesturing generally at their mess. Kise nodded, his face still pink.

 

* * *

"Shit shit shit shit!" Like a whirlwind, Kise blew through the apartment. He shoved thick rimmed glasses onto his face and slid a loosely asymmetrical sweatshirt on over his still damp body. He hopped and shoved his legs into black jeans, all while texting wildly on his phone.

Aomine was much quieter, but no less quick. His pressed uniform was quickly buttoned, his short hair already dried. Tucking the navy shirt into his belted pants, Aomine contemplated grabbing his jacket. He grabbed it along with his police hat, thinking that he might as well.

"I'm gonna be a few minutes late Ricchi!" Kise held the phone to his ear while trying to shove his feet into his sneakers without untying them. "Sorry sorry sorry! I know! I'll be right there!" The model flew out the door, his slightly harassed boyfriend trailing right behind. Kise slammed on the elevator button, pressing the "1" button over and over. With a final "I'll be right there!" the blonde hung up his phone and tucked it into his back pocket. Aomine looked at him, his gaze childishly amused.

Kise turned pink and mumbled, "I know it's my fault I'm late…" His cheeks burning, Kise made a big show of taking off his glasses and cleaning their lenses.

"Those are fake aren't they?" Aomine asked, nodding his chin at the frames. "Why do you wear them?" Kise's frantic exterior broke for a moment as he slid the glasses back on and winked at his boyfriend, "Because I look cool in them!" Aomine's foot made contact with Kise's back and the blonde flew out of the opened elevator door.

The walk didn't take long, but Kise's studio was further than the police station. "I'll come pick you up!" Aomine shouted after the model. Kise waved his arm in understanding as he quickly jogged away.

Frantically sending apologies to his stylist and manager, Kise ran without much care to his surroundings. However, as he agitatedly waited for the crosswalk to change colors, he felt the eerie feeling of being watched. His gazed darted around his surroundings; two girls were waiting at the corner with him. They were both giggling and gazing at him. Kise shrugged off the feeling and shot a bright smile at the two girls as he jogged through the street. Their excited squealing were a buzz in his ears as he started to sprint down the sidewalk. After about a minute of heavy sprinting, Kise tore into the studio. Unremarkable on the outside, the inside of the studio were luxurious. The receptionist sat at the modern style desk, tapping away at a white keyboard. She looked up at him for a moment, before motioning to her right.

"Thanks!" Kise said, waving at her. The receptionist turned slightly pink and hurriedly returned to typing. The room Kise burst into was large, the ceiling much higher than he expected it to be. A white screen covered an entire wall of the room, and in front the screen were a variety of props. Kise had but moments to admire the pretty set before a sharp voice snapped him to attention.

"You're late." A short but imposing woman rapped him on the head with her wooden clipboard. Her cute and bouncy brunette curls contrasted sharply with her stern expression.

"I'm sorry Kato-san!" Kise said, rubbing the spot where she had hit him. Kato Akane was Kise's manager, responsible for taking care of all his public appearances and job offers. Kise's charm didn't work on her, so he had learned early to not try and wink his way out of a scolding. He looked at the floor as his manager lectured him on the importance of time management. After a moment, she sighed. "The photographer was late too, so it's fine." Kise looked up, a bright smile on his face. Despite herself, Kato smiled back. "Go to Ria and get your makeup done." She waved her clipboard towards the girl sitting quietly before a mirror and vast array of makeup supplies.

"Ricchi!" Kise called. The girl stood up and waved him into the chair she had been occupying. She wore a black hat covered in colorful pins and her long black hair was pulled into an elaborate braid. "This is pretty," Kise smiled, touching the long plait. "It suits you."

"Don't think flattery is going to make me forget you were late." Ria smiled, lips turned up in an exasperated smile. Her fluffy red skirt rustled as she began taking out an army of brushes and makeup palettes. "So the theme for today is royalty." Ria pinned back Kise's still slightly wet bangs. "So we're going to go for sexy prince." Almost muttering to herself, Ria continued speaking as she applied foundation to Kise's face. "The client is notoriously picky, so everything must be flawless. I think I'm going to highlight your cheekbones, they're the most princely part of your face." Kise hummed, only half paying attention. "Turn to the left a bit…" Ria bit her lower lip lightly as she concentrated.

Moments after Kise's makeup was finished the client herself came to inspect him. Ria hurriedly styled his hair, giving the front of his bangs a princely curl. Kise chatted with the client as Ria attached a fake ponytail to the back of his short hair. They discussed the shoot, the theme, as well as the product. After another minute, both he and the photographer were ready.

The tall and surprisingly handsome photographer motioned for Kise to sit on the white throne-like chair. Kise grinned as he saw the photographer look over at Ria multiple times. The attention did not go unnoticed, and Kise was pleased to see the two chatting during the lunch break. The shoot continued on for the entire day, consisting of over 6 costume changes and countless set and prop changes. Kise's phone went untouched during the lunch break as he was busy inhaling the light salad his manager brought him.

"Model diet." Kato-san reminded as Kise looked dejectedly at his small lunch. Kise scrunched his nose at the words, silently vowing to pop by a burger store on the way home. Soon it was back to work, and Kise returned to Ria to have his makeup and hair touched up. Ria was slightly pink and Kise caught her tucking a scrap of paper into her small purse.

The rest of the shoot was completed with nearly no problems, the only issue arising from the malfunctioning velvet cushion. It took both Kato-san and the photographer half an hour to clean up the feathers that had burst from the cushion's torn seam. Kise's eyes felt sore after the shoot was over, the bright blobs of light from the camera flash still floating in his vision.

"Good work today!" He called to Kato-san and Ria on his way out of the studio. They both tiredly waved back, clearly ready to go home. Kise pulled the hood up on his sweatshirt and slid the fake frames back onto his face. Only when he left the studio did he finally look down at his phone. "2 New Messages!" the phone flashed. Kise slid his fingers across the screen to open them; they were both from Aomine.

_Message Sent at 16:45: The station is crazy right now! some1 is robbing a bank… might be late_

_Message Sent at 17:13: sorry Ryo, i don't think i can pick u up today. see u at home, i'll be late_

Kise sighed at the two messages but smiled at the screen all the same. Well, he thought, it's nice to have some time alone too. He pulled his hood even further forward to conceal his face before beginning his leisurely stroll home. Almost unconsciously traveling down the familiar route, Kise exhaled and watched the smoke dissipate from his open mouth. It was chilly, and Kise regretted not bringing an extra jacket.

The basketball court was empty, but Kise still looked into the fence as he walked by. As he was about to pass the court, he heard a soft whimpering. His feet stopped and he listened for the sound. Again a soft cry echoed from behind the court. Golden eyes darted around the empty street, it was pretty late. Kise hesitated for a moment, but a soft sob prompted him to walk around the court to investigate.

Shivering against the cold fence was a girl, baseball cap obscuring her face. She was sobbing, and her thick sweater was torn in several places. Kise approached her, brows furrowed with worry.

"Hey." He said, and the girl stiffened. Her legs were covered by a floor length skirt, which was smudged with mud. She trembled and lifted her head slightly, baseball cap still preventing Kise from getting a good look at her face. "Are you alright?" He spoke softly and stretched out a hand. The girl shook her head rapidly from side to side, her tangled brown hair fluttering in the wind. Concerned, Kise removed his glasses in an attempt to appear friendlier. He inched his outstretched hand closer and the girl finally looked up. She reached out and took Kise's hand, her own hand was larger than his and calloused. The girl slowly rose with his help, her face still downturned.

Suddenly, the girl's grip became crushingly strong. With a confused look, Kise looked at her face. Only to see a defined adam's apple poking out from her throat. Before he could react, the "girl" pulled a handkerchief from an unseen pocket and pressed it over Kise's nose and mouth.

Tumbling to the ground, Kise struggled against the iron grip. The cloth was damp and his vision began to blur. The "girl"s hat and wig tumbled to the ground to reveal a black haired man, his face twisted into a manic smile. Panicked, Kise kicked and clawed at his attacker. He felt his strength weaken with every moment, the cloth still pressed tight over his face. With a final weak push, Kise's strength finally gave way and his arms fell to the ground. Blinking rapidly, he fought to stay conscious. The dark-haired man pressed the handkerchief to Kise's face with crushing strength, his other hand fastening itself around the model's exposed throat.

Darkness crept into the corner of Kise's vision, and he felt his consciousness slipping. His cellphone buzzed in his pocket, but his arms felt like lead at his side. Finally, his eyelids fluttered shut and the crushing pressure was released. Still barely awake Kise felt his attacker pick up his limp body. He was cradled gently, the attacker rocking Kise back and forth as he carried him off. A weak hiss escaped Kise's lips, "Ao-mi…necchi…" Still held tightly by the black-haired man, Kise's mind gave way. Finally giving into the suffocating blackness, he slept.


	3. Chapter 3

Icy cold rain pelted from the slate sky as Aomine scrambled out of the police station. Holding his jacket over his head, he sprinted eastward. Each droplet clung to his damp uniform. Aomine groaned loudly in annoyance, drawing the stares of two middle-aged ladies huddling together under a flowery umbrella. With each step, water splashed over his feet and into his shoes. Damp socks squished uncomfortably in tight leather shoes. The jog lasted only minutes, but it had felt like hours to the shivering and drenched officer. Aomine nearly kicked down the apartment door and kicked off his dripping shoes haphazardly. Mumbling curses under his breath, Aomine made his way over to the closet and pulled a fluffy towel over his head.

"Oi, Ryouta!" He called, still drying his hair. Met with silence, he looked up and around. "Kise?" He called again. Confused, Aomine began to search the apartment. The bed was still unmade and messy, the kitchen appeared untouched, everything was as it was when they had left that morning. Feeling slightly uneasy, Aomine tugged his phone out from his pocket. The screen was littered with droplets of water. He rubbed it quickly with the towel and looked down at the glowing screen.

_1 Missed Call From: Kise Ryouta_

_1 New Voicemail From: Kise Ryouta_

The call had come about an hour earlier. Aomine glanced up at the clock resting on the kitchen counter. It read "11:44 pm". It was late, but Kise had been out later for work. Occasionally a photoshoot could drag late into the night. Making his way to the bedroom, Aomine messily unbuttoned his shirt and pants, letting them tumble to the ground in a heap. As he pulled on a pair of black basketball shorts, he slid his finger across the screen of the phone, accessing his voicemail. He held the phone up to his ear, preparing for the blonde's perky voice to greet him. The message was nearly silent, but muffled pop music could be heard in the background of the white noise. The voice mail continued on like this for minutes, with no sound save for what sounded like a distant radio playing popular music. Aomine sighed and opened up his text messages. He lazily typed out a message as he slowly wandered to the bed.

_To: Kise Ryouta_

_stop butt dialing me._

_im home now, gonna sleep._

As soon as he hit send, Aomine felt an extreme wave of exhaustion pass over him. The bank robbery had been draining. The robber was all bark and no bite, but this hadn't kept him from threatening to off hostages if the police entered the building. Eventually the chief of police convinced him to leave the bank and accept a guilty-plea deal. The entire thing ended with no casualties, and no money stolen. A waste of time, Aomine thought. He had spent most of his time fending off the nosy crowd of reporters trying to get into the crime scene. A yawn stretched his mouth as Aomine tugged the covers over himself. Not even bothering the put his phone on the bedside table, he was asleep in moments.

* * *

 

 

An obnoxious song roused Aomine. He rolled around, trying to locate where the noise was coming from. Finally he found Kise's alarm clock and punched the off button, knocking it off the table. Deliriously sleepy, Aomine rolled back over and contemplated going back to sleep before a thought shocked him awake. He had just rolled the length of the bed to turn off the alarm. There was no sleepy blonde obstructing his way or complaining about his sheet hogging.

"Ryo!" Aomine called, his voice hoarse from sleep. He waited, half-expecting a cheery voice to chirrup back at him. But he was met with silence. Sitting up quickly, Aomine snatched up his phone. It had somehow fallen to the floor during the night and was void of any new messages. His heart began to pick up tempo as he stared at the empty notification screen. Struggling to shake off his feeling of uneasiness, Aomine dialed Kise's number and listen intently as it rang. It rang once, twice, three times, and then stopped abruptly in the middle of the third ring. Kise had ignored his call for whatever reason. Half-pissed, half-worried, Aomine threw his phone across the bed. He reached over to pick it up only moments later, and punched in a number he had not called in months. A low voice picked up after a single ring.

"Aomine?" The voice asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

"What, why are you calling? Do you need a favor or something." The voice sounded suspicious, almost comically so.

"No. But I need to know something." Aomine skipped his normal teasing; with every moment his chest tightened slightly.

"What?"

"Have you or Kuroko heard anything from Kise since yesterday?" The question was met with a moment of confused silence.

"Hah?"

"Has Kise called you or Kuroko since yesterday?" Aomine repeated, no hint of humor in his tense voice.

"No… I mean. I haven't… Oi! Tetsu! Have you talked to Kise recently? No, right? Yeah no we haven't heard from him, did you guys get into a lover's quarrel?"

"Kagami, he hasn't come home." Aomine could hear the blood pulsating through his head as he grit his teeth. "And he hasn't called." There was a prolonged silence on the other end of the line.

"He's only been gone for one night right? Maybe he was at a model's party or something…" Kagami's conviction fell apart as his sentence went on. Suddenly he was interrupted, the phone apparently snatched from his grip.

"Kise-kun hasn't been home?" Kuroko's deadpan voice rang from the phone. Aomine ran his fingers through his cropped hair, his chest thundering.

"No, and he didn't call. I thought he called me by accident last night but he hasn't sent anything since. You know him; he always sends stupid pictures and stuff when he's at parties. But I haven't gotten a single message." Aomine's anxiety heightened as he continued to talk. "I'm gonna try and contact some other people. Bye." He hung up and quickly scrolled through his contacts to find the number he usually avoided at all costs. A cutesy pop tune played in place of a normal ring sound as he waited for her to pick up. Eventually the phone clicked and a cheery voice rang out of his phone.

"Oh! Ao-chan! You finally called!" Kise's eldest sister answered the phone with her usual bubblegum voice, Aomine could almost hear the pout in her words. His annoyance at the childish thirty-year-old was smothered by his slight panic and so he cut her off mid-sentence.

"Listen, has Kise called you recently?" Aomine gripped the blanket in his free hand, his palms sweaty.

"Ryo-chan? He called me a few days ago…" The bright voice was tinged with light puzzlement.

"Did he call you last night? Or this morning?"

"No." Her voice had lost the childish timbre. "Is something wrong?"

Aomine could feel his panic become unbearable. "He hasn't been home since last night." He knew that this anxiety would be overkill with anyone else, but not hearing a word from the blonde model for an entire night seemed impossible. Silence came from the other end of the line.

"Has he contacted any of his friends?" Kise's sister inquired. "Did you guys fight?" With each question the panic rose in her high voice. She understood; Kise barely went hours without contacting family or friends, to the point where his correspondents felt harassed.

"No." Aomine swallowed roughly. "I'll call you back." He punched the end call button, cutting off the blonde midsentence. He stared at the blank screen of his phone, mind blank. Again he called Kise's number, but was disconnected after only a single ring. Again. Again. Each time he hit the redial the call was cut off after a ring or two. Aggravated, Aomine stood up and roughly got dressed. Not bothering to shave or shower, he roughly threw the front door open and barreled down the hallway to the elevator. Standing alone in the dimly lit box, he jabbed the "1" button on the panel continuously. The elevator slowly began to slide down the shaft. Still needlessly punching the "1" button, Aomine dialed a number into his phone. The elevator door slid open silently and Aomine strode out and into the street, clenching the small phone to his ear.

"Tokyo Police Department, how may I help you?" A tired voice echoed.

"Yeah." Aomine cleared his throat, "I'm reporting a missing person."


	4. Chapter 4

Faint bands of sunlight played across Kise’s white face as he slowly roused himself from sleep. He felt a rough hand fiddle with his hair and he shut his eyes tightly. “No Aominecchi, I’m tired…” The hand stiffened and suddenly drew away. In an instant, the model realized that he was not in his plush bed but lying upon cold, hard tiles, and that the hand that had run through his hair was neither as calloused nor large as his boyfriend’s. He bolted upright only to be yanked back towards the floor by a chained leather collar tightly bound around his neck. “What—!“ He gasped, the air knocked from his lungs. The other end of the chain was wrapped tightly around a steel pipe running along the wall of the tiled room.

“Ryouta no! You’ll hurt yourself!” An unfamiliar voice exclaimed. Kise looked towards the voice from his low vantage point and was met with piercing white-gray eyes. Crouching beside the model was a young man with thick strands of black hair splayed across his forehead.

“Who are you, where am I?!” Kise shouted, his head spinning. His golden eyes widened as the memories of his kidnapping flooded back to the front of his consciousness. The crying decoy-girl, the damp handkerchief, passing out in the arms of a stranger. The icy eyes of the man ran up and down Kise’s body, lingering on his exposed skin. Kise realized then that the majority of his clothes were not on his body, only his navy boxer briefs still plastered to his sweaty body.

“Shhhhh…” hissed the gray-eyed man. He reached out with his rough hand and caressed Kise’s shivering face. Unable to escape the contact, the blonde leaned away from the stranger, pulling the chain taut. The rough palm lovingly slid over Kise’s skin, sending a nauseating shiver down the model’s spine. Long, spindly fingers ran through soft golden hair. The touch was almost calming, but Kise’s racing heartbeat would not yield to any comfort.

“Who are you?” Kise choked out, still straining against his collar. The man twitched and withdrew his hand quickly. He pursed his lips tightly, hiding his eyes behind his black curtain of hair. But even with the thick hair obscuring his eyes, Kise could see the man’s face turning red.

“You’re really here.” The words slid out from behind the hair quietly, as if whispering a prayer. “Ryo-…” He stuttered and roughly clasped his hands together. It looked almost as if he was praying, although Kise thought he looked more like a man trying to restrain himself. “Ryouta...” The simple utterance of his name sent another unpleasant tingle down Kise’s spine. The tone. The breathiness. The man said his name with such reverence and adoration that the blonde couldn’t help but feel sickened. Instead of responding, Kise reached up to tug at the collar around his neck but found his arms similarly shackled. A pair of bright yellow plush-lined handcuffs bound his wrists together. He tugged his wrists in opposite directions but the restraints would not budge. His eyes flew around the room and then up and down the man in front of him. The white tile lining the floors and walls was blinding, blending with the porcelain sink and toilet in the far corner of the small room. Kise quickly realized that he was in a bathroom, and shackled to a crudely installed pipe that ran around the circumference of the walls.          

“Ryouta…” The man whispered again, seemingly tasting the name on his tongue. Golden eyes ran up and down the black-haired stranger. The man was slender, with delicate hands and a slim neck. He was clad in a pair of ill-fitting jeans splattered with paint and a thin maroon t-shirt. Although his dark hair covered most of his face, Kise could tell that the man was exceedingly handsome. High cheekbones and a sharp jaw served as the backdrop to piercing white-gray eyes. His features seemed almost ethereal, eerie even. The blonde shivered again, who was this stranger, and what did he plan on doing to him?

For the third time, Kise asked, “Who are you?” a surprisingly calm voice spilling from his lips. The man seemed to react this time, lips parting to flash straight white teeth.

“I’m your Master.” The man rumbled. Without warning, he lurched forwards and embraced Kise. Kise let out a small gasp in surprise; with his hands bound he had no choice but to fall backwards onto the tile wall under the man’s oppressive weight. The cold tiles felt like shards of ice against his bare back.

“Stop--!” Kise cried, his voice echoing chaotically around the room. His spine curved unnaturally as he slid down the tile wall under the man’s weight. The sound of his voice only seemed to encourage the black haired stranger.

“Ryouta...” the man breathily moaned into the model’s ear. His tongue flicked out of his mouth quickly, brushing against Kise’s earlobe. The blonde felt a hot bulge against his thigh and realized with horror what it was. The man grinded against his thigh gently, his hands sliding down to Kise’s own crotch.

“No!” Kise tried to kick and wriggle away but his struggle seemed only to excite the stranger. “Don’t touch me--!” The blonde felt his eyes grow hot and tears began to pool at the corners of his eyes. The man lowered his head to lick and nibble at the model’s chest. His delicate hand rubbed Kise’s still soft member through his underwear, while his other hand roughly grabbed at the blonde’s pale back. Before he could stop himself, Kise choked out a sob.

“Daiki...” His voice made the man freeze. He looked up at Kise with his bright eyes and the model felt his heart jump as he saw the rage contorting the man’s face. Kise twitched in pain as the chain connected to his collar was yanked, pulling him roughly away from the wall. After being hunched over for so long, his spine popped in protest as he was forced to arch his back in the opposite direction. The man glared down at Kise, the chain gripped firmly in his left hand.

“Don’t say his name.” He hissed, tugging the chain again. The hand not firmly grasping the chain flew up to entangle itself in Kise’s golden hair. He yanked sharply downwards.

“Ah—guah!!” A strangled sound slipped between the blonde’s teeth as he contorted his face in pain. His face was mere centimeters from the man’s.

“You belong to me now.” The man whispered as Kise continued to struggle. His grip on the golden hair tightened, eliciting another gasp of pain from the model. Without warning, he leaned down and pressed his lips against Kise’s mouth. His rough tongue entered the model’s mouth and he pulled the blonde even closer by his fistful of hair.

“Mmmph!!” Kise twitched and struggled as much as he could with his body restrained. Beyond the horror of what was happening to him, Kise vaguely wondered how the stranger knew of Aomine’s name. His curiosity was cut short by the violent passion of the tongue violating the inner crevices of his mouth. Kise thrashed and fought to get away, but his struggles proved futile. Releasing the chain, the man’s hand returned again to Kise’s waist. Thin fingers slid under the elastic waistband to stroke at his member. The model felt a white-hot embarrassment color his face. It felt completely different from when Aomine touched him. The man’s hand was cold and its movement’s were fluid, as if a snake had wound itself around Kise. More tears ran down the model’s bright-red face as the man finally relented in his aggressive kissing. The icy hand began sliding up and down Kise’s cock, gently teasing the head with his thumb.

With disgust, Kise could feel the blood rushing down to his waist as he hardened under the man’s skillful touch. The man’s leaned his head down to lick at the blonde’s exposed neck. “Stop, please...” Kise whispered, closing his eyes tightly. This couldn’t be real, he thought. This wasn’t real, this was just a horrible dream and he would wake up and be in his bed and be with his Aominecchi again. But that hope was mercilessly crushed as the cold hand roughly jerked him off. A strangled moan escaped him before he could help himself. Clear globs of precum leaked from his tip as the man’s movements increased in tempo. Kise gasped again as he felt the sharp pain of teeth against his sensitive neck. The sensation of pain against his throat in tandem with the sweetness in his hips quickly sent Kise to the edge. He fought to keep the sensation at bay, to hold on to the last bit of dignity he had left. Hips trembling, abs twitching, soft echoes of moans rang around the cold, tiled room. Just as the Kise could hold back no longer, the man released his grip and withdrew his hand. Just as Kise began to feel relief, a new wave of horror hit him as his underwear was tugged down off his waist and to his knees. Completely exposed, he was faced with the sight of his erect cock glistening with precum. Immediately he shut his eyes and turned away, he was so mortified that he thought he might die right there.

His golden eyes shot open quickly as the sensation of the man’s cold hand returned. The icy fingertips trailed down from the model’s lower back to his ass, and before Kise could even feel disgusted two fingers were roughly pushed inside of him.

“—Ah!!” Kise whimpered. His entrance burned as the two fingers swirled inside him. His wrists strained against the handcuffs as he desperately tried to reach behind himself to push away his attacker. The white-gray eyes of the stranger bored into him, his gaze hazy with a fevered lust. The fingers were pulled out a couple inches before being rammed back into the blonde, causing him to cry out in pain. With his free hand, the man lifted Kise’s bound wrists up and over his head, closing the small distance between them. The model’s legs were wide apart, leaving him completely exposed.

The man leaned forward and kissed Kise’s neck again, over the red mark where he had bitten him, before pushing another finger inside. “You’re beautiful...” He whispered, his voice raspy with desire. The blonde had stopped struggling and was merely lying there pathetically, tears streaming down his well-proportioned face. The man was unhappy with this development, he wanted his Ryouta to struggle, to moan and cry out. He removed his fingers from the blonde and clumsily undid his belt and jeans, allowing them to fall from his hips. His own dick was straining against the confines of his underwear and so he removed those quickly as well. Apparently realizing what was about to happen, the blonde reanimated and began fighting to escape from the stranger.

“No!!” Kise heard his own panicked shout echo back at him in the oppressive room. The man’s surprisingly large cock was maneuvered to his ass, its tip pressing against his sore entrance. “Please, please, please...” the blonde was begging now, shaking his head violently, letting tears dribble down his chin and to his chest.

“Well now you’ve asked nicely haven’t you?” The man cooed, before forcefully bucking his hips and pushing himself inside. Kise cried out in agony as he felt the hot member force its way into him, as if it were a knife carving out his insides. Once he had buried himself completely into the blonde, the stranger began roughly fucking him.

“Ah! Gah!!” A mix of sobs and moans slipped out of Kise’s mouth as he felt himself being roughly entered over and over again. The man reached down and began jerking off his now-soft cock again and Kise felt a wave of self-loathing as he felt himself growing hard.

“Ryouta. Ryouta. Ryouta!” The man grunted with each thrust, eyes half-lidded in utter ecstasy. Kise’s body was on fire, each movement sent another wave of both pain and pleasure through him. The man’s hand teased the head of Kise’s member lightly, the gentle touch sending jolts through the blonde. The wet sound of their bodies moving against each other filled the room, mixing with the echoes of Kise’s choked sobs. Kise scrunched his eyes shut as he willed himself to pass out, or to die, anything to end this sensation of being violated. Kise was pressed harder against the wall as the speed of the man’s movements quickened. His icy gray eyes were shut now, and a rosy glow played across his white face. With a final jolt, he came. White-hot cum filled the blonde as the raven-haired man shuddered. Nauseated, Kise did all he could do avoid looking down at the mess that was their connected bodies. His cock twitched slightly, still under the man’s vicegrip. Gently, tenderly, the man removed himself from Kise’s body and slid away from the model. Kise immediately slid and fell to the floor, not realizing how much the man had been supporting his body weight. His head rested awkwardly on the tile floor as he felt the hot cum leaking out of his body. Messily, the man yanked up his pants and stood.

Without saying a word, he left the room, only to return within seconds with a large white camera in hand. Kise was in too much pain to care, not even resisting as the man reached out and rearranged his body. Curled into a half fetal position, with bruises and scratches spattered around his body like paint, Kise lay there. His eyes were still bloodshot from crying, and the ground below him was sticky with a mixture of sweat and semen. Grinning widely, the man held the camera to his face and pressed down a button with a quiet click. A square polaroid picture slid out from the small slot at the bottom of the camera and the man gingerly took it and placed it on the ground beside him. He lifted the camera again and took another picture. He collected both his pictures and looked down at the violated model with a manic sparkle in his icy eyes. He held them up for him to see, and Kise felt a spasm of shame as he looked upon the images of himself lying on the ground, completely and utterly desecrated. The man tucked one of the photos into his back pocket and grinned again.

“One for me...” he then turned his back to Kise and opened the bathroom door, “...and one as for Aominecchi.” The door shut with an ominous finality. As the words of his captor sank in, Kise almost felt like laughing. Salty tears poured from his golden eyes to the ground as he stared without really seeing anything.

“Daiki...” He mumbled hoarsely, “Please hurry.”


	5. Chapter 5

Aomine was pacing irritably across the wood floor of his apartment when the buzzer rang. Its high-pitched screech was silenced as he punched the bright red ‘answer’ button. The screen on the display flickered to life, showing the top of a sky blue head and the broad figure of the tall basketball player behind him. Not allowing the two the chance to speak, Aomine quickly punched in the code granting the guests access into the apartment complex and returned to his manic pacing. He gripped his cellphone in his hand tightly; it was still hot from the countless calls he had made earlier. The apartment was a disaster, with the drawers pulled out and papers strewn across every surface. Telephone numbers were scribbled onto every blank scrap of paper and the remains of a ripped phonebook lay pathetically beside the television. Aomine paced the length of the living room three times before he heard a gently knock from his door.

            “Aomine-kun, we’re here.” He heard the deadpan voice and immediately jogged over to rip the door open. His hand still raised as if to knock again, Kuroko Tetsuya looked up at the disheveled officer with surprise. “Aomine-kun...” He said, brows lowering over his wide sapphire eyes as he took in the appearance of his former teammate. Beside Kuroko stood Kagami Taiga, looking equally as surprised at Aomine’s dark eyes and rough stubble.

            “If you’re gonna come in hurry up and do it.” Aomine muttered, turning around quickly and returning to the confines of the messy living room. His two guests stood at his doorstep for a moment, clearly concerned, before gingerly stepping over the threshold. Kagami looked over to the breakfast bar and clearly untouched stove. Several empty energy drink cans and protein bar wrappers littered the gray counter, along with a few empty instant noodle cups.

            “Is this what you’ve been eating all week?” Kagami inquired, mentally counting the number of food remnants piled on the counter. Aomine responded with a quiet ‘hm’ without looking at the basketball player. He had settled himself back down on the couch and was flipping through a packet of what appeared to be home addresses.

            “Aomine-kun, you look terrible.” Kuroko remarked quietly, causing Aomine to let out a harsh bark of laughter. It was true, the officer looked awful, beyond unkempt. His tanned skin looked thinner than usual and the darkness under his eyes threatened to overtake his entire face. The creases in his forehead appeared to be permanently etched in his skin and his chin was covered in a short layer of navy stubble. He looked ill, a corpse merely going through the motions of living.

            “Any news about Kise?” Kagami picked up a packet off the breakfast counter and paged through it, gazing over the phone numbers that were violently crossed off with red pen. Aomine twitched his head and froze for a moment before responding.

            “No. There’s nothing.” His grip on the packet tightened, the paper crumpling under his tortured grasp. “It’s been a week and there’s fucking nothing.” His bitter words rang meaningfully over the silence, and suddenly the dam broke and all of Aomine’s repressed thoughts flooded forth. “He just disappeared. He was at work and he was fine, it’s less than two miles between our apartment and his studio how the hell did he just vanish!?” The paper gripped tightly in his tanned hands was thrown to the ground as he abruptly stood. “He can’t just fucking disappear, and they took me off the case. Saying it was too personal, that I’m too invested, that they need an unbiased pair of eyes. Of fucking course I’m involved, how the hell am I supposed to accept that he’s just GONE!!” Aomine punctuated the last word by slamming his fist down on the wood coffee table. He buried his face into his calloused hands, feeling like his entire body was a cord pulled as taut as it could before snapping. Kuroko gently rested the palm of his hand on Aomine’s back.

            “We’re going to find him Aomine-kun.” Kuroko stared at him, his hand still resting on the officer’s tense back. With the same intense determination as always, he repeated himself, “We’re going to find him.”

            “That’s why we’re here right? To help out?” Kagami chimed in, his thick brows lowered over his equally intense eyes. “Kise’s strong, he’s out there somewhere waiting for us to go get him. He won’t bite it just like that.” Aomine couldn’t help but feel a wave of uneasiness at his words. ‘Bite it.’ Die. He felt sick as he imagined Kise’s lifeless corpse strewn somewhere, or of the blonde’s bright gold eyes fading as the light behind them dimmed and was finally extinguished. Aomine forcefully pushed the thoughts from his mind.

            “Yeah, that’s right.” He mumbled, half to himself. His sharp navy eyes locked on to Kagami. “We’re going to find him.” Aomine repeated the sentence in his head, over and over like a prayer. He kept repeating it as the three of them left the apartment and entered the elevator. The stainless steel interior of the elevator walls now seemed so unfriendly and confining to Aomine without Kise there to brighten the space. Since the blonde’s disappearance it was as if the light had exited from his life, there was no longer someone there to point out the bright side of a situation, or to crack a stupid joke, or to even simply smile dumbly as he always did. Aomine’s chest tightened uncomfortably. Kuroko appeared to notice the shift in the officer’s thoughts and he patted the taller man on the back again in a small attempt at consolation.

            The three exited the elevator and entered the street, breathing in the dry autumn air. The bright red and orange leaves had almost all fallen, leaving the trees looking naked and abandoned. Aomine swiftly turned to his right and began following the well-worn path to Kise’s studio, eyes scanning constantly for any sort of hint that could lead him to the blonde. Once the trio approached the basketball court Kuroko stopped in place and suddenly walked around the outer circumference of the fence. The other two followed him without question, trusting Kuroko’s experienced sense of intuition.

            “Kise-kun was here.” He stated, looking down at the grass that framed the concrete court. Puzzled, Kagami looked to him for an explanation. In response, Kuroko pointed downwards and Aomine felt his breath hitch in his throat as he gazed upon the object Kuroko was gesturing to. A thick pair of black glasses lay on the grass, covered in a thin layer of mud and dust. Without saying a word, the officer pulled a plastic zip bag from his pocket and collected the glasses, careful to avoid touching the frames directly. Images flashed in his head as he gazed upon the dirty glasses. _“Because I look cool in them!”_ Is what Kise had said when Aomine asked why he wore the fake lenses. The blonde’ bright grin flashed across Aomine’s vision as he shut his eyes for a moment. It was like their life together had been a dream. Each moment of domestic bliss felt like grains of sand slipping through his fingers. Every smile, each stupid movie, each game of basketball... Each kiss. It had only been a week since Kise had vanished yet Aomine could already feel himself forgetting what his lips felt like.

            “There’s a ring here too.” Kuroko noted, pulling Aomine out from his thoughts. The officer stared at the little gold band for a moment before speaking.

            “That’s. That’s not his.” The ring was placed into the plastic bag, knocking against the plastic frames. Aomine’s cobalt eyes closely examined the ring inside the bag. Gold, no words or engravings, small. It wasn’t Kise’s. The simple trinket was neither the ostentatious model’s style nor size.

            “Meaning that someone who was with Kise-kun at this spot could have left it.” Kuroko’s round eyes peered into the bag, startling the officer with his sudden presence. He really never could get used to Kuroko’s lack of presence. Kagami, who had been silent through the whole exchange, finally spoke.

            “Then we have DNA evidence don’t we?” He said slowly, “That ring must have been on the kidnapper or whoever’s finger. This should give us a fingerprint or something.” Aomine’s head bobbed in agreement.

            “Tch.” The officer’s eyes darkened as he looked at the bag of evidence before him. “They missed something so obvious...” Kuroko looked up at him, puzzled. “The so called detectives assigned to Kise’s case. I told them about this basketball court, I told them everything about where he would’ve been and they fucking missed this.” Aomine couldn’t stop the bitterness from rushing into his words. “If they had just found these earlier maybe Kise could’ve-“

            “But we found it now.” Kagami roughly clapped the officer on his shoulder.

            “Yeah.” Aomine mumbled. “Alright, let’s go.”

            “To turn it in?” Kagami asked, startled at his sudden change in attitude. Aomine let out a short bark of laughter.

            “What and let those stupid detectives miss something again? No, there’s a guy who’ll identify this ring easily.” Kuroko nodded, apparently understanding what the officer meant. The tan hand gripping the evidence bag tightened as Aomine stared up at the now star streaked sky. “The only one who’s going to find Ryouta is me.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was a little past midnight when Aomine finally returned to the apartment. Kuroko and Kagami had returned to their home, promising to return early the next morning. Before entering the elevator, Aomine paused, noticing the substantial stack of mail in their mailbox. Sleepily fumbling with his set of keys, he finally managed to unlock the small letterbox and carried the wad of paper up with him as he returned to the suite. The officer left his shoes in a pile at the entrance to the apartment, next to Kise’s untouched pair of leather sneakers.

“I’m home!” He called out, before freezing. He had spoken out of reflex. The silence that greeted him in lieu of the usual “welcome back!” left his chest aching. The apartment suddenly felt ten times too large. It was too spacious, too empty. However, Aomine was exhausted. Shoving away the emotion, he strode quickly to the bedroom. He tossed the wad of mail in his hands onto the disheveled bed and it fanned out over the crumpled sheets. Only after entering the connecting bathroom and turning the shower on did Aomine allow himself to think again. The bathroom walls were a soft eggshell white; a color Kise had picked himself. Aomine had argued with him, there’s no difference between white and eggshell white, he said. But like always, the blonde had pouted and begged until Aomine gave in just to end the whining. He had to admit, Kise was right. They were different. The soft yellow hue made the bathroom seem warmer, more inviting; but all Aomine could see was Kise. Aomine hurriedly tugged off his clothes, leaving them in a heap beside the sink.

Underneath the spray of the lukewarm water, the brunt of the repressed emotions finally washed over the officer. His rough fist met with the tiled wall of the shower. A thin stream of crimson leaked from the point of contact and dissipated at his feet under the steady caress of the shower water.

“DAMMNIT!” Aomine yelled, punching the wall again and drawing more blood. He had been in denial, from the moment he reported Kise missing until the moment he was taken off the case and given an indefinite leave. When he had called to report, the operator couldn’t keep the skepticism from his voice.

 

_“He’s been gone for how long now sir?”_

_“One night. I know that’s a short time, but I’m not overreacting.”_

_“Sir. I-- ...”_

_“Please, will you just file a report.”_

_“Sir, perhaps Mr. Kise has his phone off, or has stayed with a friend overnight? He’s a model, no? Perhaps he was at a party and his senses were dulled...”_

_“No, he wouldn’t. There’s no way I wouldn’t have heard from him for this long if something wasn’t wrong.”_

_“I will file a report, but the detectives really have more pressing cases than tracking down the whereabouts of someone who hasn’t really gone missing yet.”_

_“Thank you.”_

 

            Aomine trembled as he remembered the exchange. He knew that one night wasn’t cause for alarm with a normal person but Kise was different. The model couldn’t go minutes without speaking with someone, going a full twelve hours seemed completely impossible. Aomine had spent that night lying awake in bed, ears straining to catch the sound of Kise turning the lock to the apartment. He had convinced himself hundreds of times that he indeed heard the lock click open and would leap out of bed to rush to the living room each time, only to be met with the same empty entryway. And every time he ran to the door he’d make a bargain.

 

_“Alright Ryo, if you come in the door right now I won’t yell at you.”_

_“Okay, if you’re here this time I’ll go to that concert with you.”_

_“This time. This time if you’re here I won’t be mad, I won’t even be annoyed.”_

_“When I see your stupid face I won’t even make fun of you a little bit, just be there okay?”_

_“Now you have to be here. If you’re not I’ll stop coming to all your parties.”_

_“I’ll stop watching your commercials okay? I won’t watch any of the dramas you’re in unless you come home right now.”  
            “I’ll tell you I love you if you’re at the door. You always wanted me to say that more right?”_

_“Please be there.”_

 

But he was never there. Not that time, not the next night, or the night after that. Aomine hadn’t turned on the television for a week because he didn’t know what he would do if he saw Kise’s sparkling smile. The water had long gone cold when Aomine finally shut the shower off. Not bothering to towel off, he slid on a pair of clean boxers and stared at the empty bed. The mail he had discarded earlier was still lying over the sheets. Resting heavily on the side of the mattress, he reached out to grab a pile of paper. Flipping through them quickly, Aomine sighed. Electrical bill, water bill, spam mail, spam mail. He paused for a moment as he gazed at the next bit of mail, a sleek fashion magazine. Familiar golden eyes gazed back at him from the glossy cover. Kise was wearing thick layers of makeup and clothes that seemed wholly impractical.

“Avante garde, eh?” Aomine smirked, surprised that he remembered the term the blonde had told him. “Looks stupid to me.” He had never gotten into high fashion magazines, the models were always flat-chested. But he ordered this one anyways, just to support his ever-talented boyfriend. Aomine ran a thumb over the cover, over Kise’s picturesque features. “You idiot...” He murmured. As he spoke his voice broke and Aomine could feel his throat clench up tightly. Even as his eyes burned, he swallowed heavily to keep himself from breaking down. “I’m not gonna cry.” He spoke to the magazine Kise, who gazed back at him from the page with intense eyes. He knew that what he was doing was ridiculous, but he spoke to the page anyways. “When I find you, maybe I’ll think about crying. You’ll get a kick out of that...”

Aomine placed the magazine on the bedside table, not wanting to look at it any longer. Next in the pile of mail was a square envelope, but the writing on it made Aomine’s heart leap to his throat.

_Kise Ryouta_

Kise’s signature. From the flashy print to the bubbly hearts doodled below the actual signature, it was his. Aomine had seen replications, but this was the real thing. He tore into the envelope roughly and held it upside down. Two objects tumbled into his lap. A square polaroid photo and a folded piece of paper. He looked at the folded paper first. It was folded in half twice, the creases so neat that it almost felt like a human couldn’t have done it. Written on the paper was a note, in handwriting just as immaculate as the folds.

 

_“Dear Aomine Daiki,_

_I regret to inform you that the model Kise Ryouta will no longer be living in your residence. He is happily with me and will spend the rest of his days in comfort. Do not worry, though he is distressed now he will soon become accustomed to living here with me._

_I saw you in middle school and high school Aomine-san. Well, you were always with Ryouta so how could I not notice you. You were very skilled at basketball. Do you understand how infuriating it was for me to see Ryouta try and chase after you like that? Saying lines like “I know you best” and “I’ll stop admiring you.” You are hardly worth the admiration of Ryouta, and I still cannot fathom why he chose you._

_So yes, I am bitter. I am vengeful. It is one of my faults you see. But I am also intelligent, and you will never find neither me nor Ryouta. It is because of that confidence that I send you this now. I suppose it is a little petty of me to do this, but I want you to know how fully and completely Ryouta now belongs to me. Erase his existence from your mind Aomine Daiki. For all purposes that concern you, he is dead. The attached picture is proof of all I have said. He really does have a beautiful body._

_I love him very much, and I have decided that the world is no longer worthy enough to enjoy his existence. Thank you very much for your understanding._

_-Master”_

Aomine finished the letter and read it once again, the words failing to sink in. “Master?” he muttered, “What the hell is this...” He looked again to the polaroid lying face down in his lap. This was just some stupid elaborate prank, Kise’s always had crazy fans, and their relationship wasn’t exactly kept secret. But for some reason, he hesitated before looking at the photo. The tone of the letter was just so... Off. The thin polaroid felt heavy in his hand as he flipped it over.

Aomine thought his heart had stopped. It was beyond feeling shocked, or upset even. He was numb; his brain couldn’t comprehend the image his eyes were receiving. Kise lying on a pure white background, his characteristically bright eyes dim, his ever-perfect golden hair disheveled and sticking in clumps to his sweaty face. His body was bare but littered with long red scratches and Aomine could see the hint of a bruised bite mark on his white throat. And, he was nude. And covered in...

Aomine had to physically turn to look away, it was too much. This had to be photoshop, or faked or something. It couldn’t be real. But the physical reaction he had to the picture was enough to tell him that this was no fake. He felt the bile rise at the back of his throat as he forcefully exhaled. The picture was still clutched tight in his trembling hand, but he refused to look back at it. He already knew what it looked like, after the one brief glance he knew that he would never be able to erase the image from his mind.

He placed both the letter and photo back into the envelope as best he could with his shaking hands. “I need to get this examined now,” he thought, “We need to trace this, back to—“ Aomine was cut off mid-thought by his own exhaustion as the room flickered in his eyesight. Running two nights without any sleep finally took its toll on the officer. The room unfocused as he blacked out, falling backwards onto the mattress, envelope still clutched in his rough hands.


End file.
